Highland Winter W﻿onderland Break.

2nd-6th February 2018 ​£545pp (Deposit £50)

!Speedy Birder Discount. Book by 30th Sept and pay £499pp!

Join us at Highland's "Wildlife Hotel", The Grant Arms for a spectacular winter birding four night break. As well as three full days fu﻿﻿lly guided birding including transport you also have exclusive use of all the facilities provided by the Birdwatching & Wildlife Club (BWWC) during your stay. This includes an extensive Natural History library and Club room full of local wildlife information and a sightings board. A wildlife film is shown most evenings as well as regular talks when scheduled during one of our breaks. There’s also the chance to meet other birders or groups staying at the hotel to catch up with their sightings and compare notes all adding to the atmosphere your stay. Also as the hotel is situated right in the centre of town, numerous shops and facilities are all within easy walking distance...

Day 1 : Arrival. We meet up for an evening introduction at the hotel before dinner.

Day 2: An early start to visit a local Black Grouse lek then we'll explore the local forests and reserves for specialities including Crested Tit, Capercaillie, Scottish/Parrot Crossbill and Red Squirrel. Weather permitting we'll also scan the Cairngorm Ski slopes for Ptarmigan and Snow Buntings. Later we venture into the famous Findhorn Valley in search of Red Deer, Mountain Hare,Golden and White-tailed Eagles as well as other raptors this area is so famous for. If the weather is fine there is a good chance of displaying Goshawk on our March break. We also hope to seek out Red Grouse on the moors as we go, often right by the road side they can provide the perfect photo opportunity.

Day 3 : An excursion to the Inverness area and Black Isle to enjoy the wintering wildfowl, waders and sea-duck of the Moray and Cromarty Firth. Udale Bay and the Cromarty Firth are home to hundreds of wintering Scaup as well as Slavonian Grebes, Long-tailed Ducks, Goosanders, Red-brested Mergansers. The bay hosts large flocks of Wigeon, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Dunlin and hundreds of Curlew and Oystercatchers as well a feeding and resting place for wintering geese.We will also search the farmland for wintering finch and geese flocks as they forage the fields for spilt grain and left over crops., flocks of Twite, Redpoll and Linnet are regular as well as a few sites for Tree Sparrow.

Day 4 : We head to the stunning Moray Firth coast with its winter seascapes and light - one of Scotland's secret gems. Thousands of sea-duck traditionally winter here including Common and Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Ducks, Red, Black-throated and Great Northern Divers and hundreds of Eiders. We may even be lucky enough to pick up a rarity such as King Eider or Surf Scoter which are often found in these waters. There are also usually a few Iceland and Glaucous Gulls to be found wandering around the area most winters offering a great chance to compare the id of this tricky duo from the north.﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿Day 5: Departure.

* Extra nights added can be booked by Highland Nature on your behalf, payable direct to Grant Arms on departure.

Please note the exact itinerary is for guidance only and may be subject to change depending on weather or road conditions on the days, especially during winter months.

For further details contact us on 01479 821357 / (07875) 094666 (mob) Email info@highlandnature.co.uk or fill out the form below and we will make a preliminary booking for you.To secure this we can take a deposit by Cheque or Bank Transfer, details will be sent.If you wish to pay by card we can do this through PayPal, there is a 3.4% transaction charge for this.Once we have received your balance we will confirm the booking in writing. Please read our Terms & Conditions prior to booking.

What's included in your package?

* Dinner bed & Breakfast at the three star Grant Arms Hotel, packed lunch and hot drinks during the day.* Transport throughout the holiday.* The services of local guide John Poyner throughout the break. John lives locally and has been working as a Bird & Wildlife Guide throughout the Highlands and Islands for 15 years, previously working for RSPB Scotland as an assistant warden and two of Scotland's leading wildlife tour companies. He now runs Highland Nature, and is Wildlife Guide for the BWWC at the Grant Arms Hotel. In any spare time, John also works as a freelance environmental consultant surveying upland birds for renewable energy developments.

What's Not Included in your Package?

*All alcoholic drinks, tips, any incidental expenses of a personal nature.*Number in group is limited to a maximum of 7 people.

And finally..........HOW DO I GET HERE?

By Car: Main roads are kept well cleared in Scotland in winter, local councils are well equipped and used to snow! Grantown is accessed via the main A9 north from Glasgow, a major trunk road.By Train: Services daily to Aviemore from Kings Cross. We offer a free pick up and drop of service to the station by arrangement.By Air: Inverness airport is just over an hours drive away. Full details of flights available here.